Henri Salmet
Henri Salmet at Llanelli 1912
Born
Henri Salmet

(1878-07-22)22 July 1878
Paris, France
Died1929? [1]
unknown
NationalityFrench
Occupationpilot

Henri Salmet (22 July 1878 – 1929?) was an early French aviator.

Early life

Henri Salmet was born on 22 July 1878, in Paris.

Blériot Flying School 1911

In early 1911, he was employed by the Blériot Flying School at Hendon Aerodrome, and was taught to fly by its Chief Flying Instructor, Pierre Prier.[2] On 27 June 1911, he was awarded Aviator's Certificate No. 99 by the Royal Aero Club.[3] Later in 1911, he succeeded Pierre Prier as Chief Flying Instructor. On 29 November 1911, he broke the British altitude record in a flight to 8,070 feet (2,460 m).[2]

London to Paris flight 1912

On 7 March 1912, in a Blériot XI, he attempted to break the record for the shortest time for a non-stop flight from London (Hendon Aerodrome) to Paris (Issy-les-Moulineaux), previously set by Pierre Prier on 13 April 1911.[4] Salmet's time was three hours sixteen minutes, and that was duly reported in the press.[5] However, Salmet later confessed that he had landed in France en route to Paris to locate his bearings, so the existing record was not broken.[6]

Salmet landing near Herne Bay, Kent, 1912

"Wake Up England" tour 1912

In July and August 1912, Salmet took part in the "Wake Up England" aviation tour organised by Claude Graham-White, and sponsored by the Daily Mail newspaper. The purpose was to promote public interest in aviation, and it visited 121 towns, many of which were holiday resorts. Salmet flew a Blériot XI-2, a two-seater that enabled him to carry a paying passenger.[2]

"The Daily Mail" Aeroplane Tour 1913-1914

In 1913, Salmet flew in a tour of Great Britain, again sponsored by the Daily Mail, whose title was emblazoned beneath the wings of his Blériot XI-2. One of his passengers that year was the English illustrator Wyndham Payne.[7] In April 1914, he landed the Blériot at Gyllyngvase beach near Falmouth, where the wheels dug into the soft sand, and the aircraft tipped up onto its nose.[8][9] The Blériot was then fitted with its optional floats to enable operation from the sea. Soon after, an engine failure caused a forced landing on the sea near Lizard Point, during a flight carrying the Lady Mayoress of Falmouth.[8][9]

Wars of the Roses Air Race 1913

On 2 October 1913, Salmet displayed his aircraft at Leeds, and operated passenger flights during the preparation for the Wars of the Roses (air race).[10]

Newspaper deliveries at Nice 1914

On 5 January 1914, the Daily Mail Riviera Supplement reported that Salmet had started to carry passengers on flights in the area of Nice, during which flowers and copies of the newspaper were dropped as publicity stunts.[11]

World War I

After the outbreak of war, he joined the Aéronautique Militaire (French army air service), and served with the title Marechal des Logis, with Escadrille C9, flying Caudron G.4 reconnaissance bombers from Villers-lès-Nancy. On 7 April 1915, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.[12] In August 1915, a further citation was awarded to him.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Picture of Salmet at Hendon, London, 1912 with a short biography, referencing R. Dallas Brett, History of British Aviation 1908-1914, Volume I, The Aviation Book Club, London, 1933.
  2. 1 2 3 Buttler, Tony. "Henri Salmet", Aeroplane Monthly, November 2012, pp. 24-28
  3. ↑ Flight, 1 July 1911 Aviators' certificates
  4. ↑ Flight, 22 April 1911, p. 348 London to Paris Non-stop by Aeroplane
  5. ↑ Flight, 16 March 1912, p. 238 London-Paris Record Flight
  6. ↑ Flight, 23 March 1912, p. 264 M. Salmet's London-Paris Flight
  7. ↑ Webb, Brian (2020). Wyndham Payne Design. ACC Art Books. ISBN 9781788840651.
  8. 1 2 "The Daily Mail" Aeroplane Tour 1913
  9. 1 2 Look Back in Time: French aviator crashed onto Gyllyngvase Beach 100 years ago
  10. ↑ Wars of the Roses Air Race
  11. ↑ Daily Mail, 5 January 1914 Newspapers from the Sky
  12. ↑ Flight, 23 April 1915, p. 284 Salmet Mentioned in Army Orders
  13. ↑ Flight, 17 September 1915, p. 708 Good Work by Salmet

Bibliography

  • Sanger, Ray. 2008. Bleriot in Britain 1899-1927. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0 85130 399 4
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